Amazingly, the San Francisco 49ers are still fighting for a playoff spot.
Despite falling behind 9-0 in the early going today in St. Louis, the 49ers lead the Rams 14-12 at halftime and are 30 minutes of football away from entering Week 17 with a strong shot at winning their division.
The Rams took an early lead on a Steven Jackson one-yard touchdown run, and after that 49ers quarterback Troy Smith fumbled a shotgun snap and jumped on it in the end zone for a safety to give the Rams a 9-0 lead.
But Ted Ginn returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown for the 49ers, and Smith later hit Michael Crabtree for a 60-yard touchdown pass. The Rams got a 43-yard field goal from Josh Brown, but they trail at the half.
In the terrible NFC West, both the 6-8 Rams and 5-9 49ers are still in the division title hunt, so today’s game is about as big as a game between two teams with a combined 11-17 record can be.
And with the 49ers leading at halftime, San Francisco isn’t giving up on its playoff hopes just yet.
